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Health Care-associated Infections

Health Care-associated Infection

Health Care-associated infections (HAIs) are associated with high morbidity, mortality and health care costs. YSPH faculty are working to understand, prevent and control HAIs through a combination of clinical epidemiologic studies, surveillance activities and high-throughput sequencing projects. Melinda Pettigrew is working to understand how alterations in the gastrointestinal microbiota of hospitalized patients affect the risk of HAIs due to antibiotic-resistant organisms. The CDC categorizes carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) as an urgent threat to public health and the WHO ranked CRE as priority 1 critical in their 2017 global priorities list of antibiotic-resistant bacteria threats. Dr. Pettigrew is also working with the Connecticut Emerging Infections Program to describe transmission patterns of CRE strains causing HAIs in the state of Connecticut. Students, faculty and staff at the Connecticut Emerging Infections Program are conducting surveillance on Clostridium difficile to increase understanding of the epidemiology of health care-associated C. difficile infections. Dr. Louise-Marie Dembry’s research focuses on health care epidemiology, especially the prevention and control of HAIs, antimicrobial-resistant organisms and patient safety.

Faculty of Interest

  • Professor of Epidemiology (Microbial Diseases) and of Pharmacology; Affiliated Faculty, Yale Institute for Global Health

    Research Interests
    • Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome
    • Global Health
    • Foodborne Diseases
    • Epidemiology
    • Hepatitis C
    • HIV Infections
    • Injections
    • Vietnam
    • Public Health
    • Russia
  • Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and Professor of Epidemiology (Microbial Diseases); Affiliated Faculty, Yale Institute for Global Health; Director, HPV Working Group at Yale; Director, CT Emerging Infections Program at Yale, Epidemiology of Microbial Diseases

    Research Interests
    • Qualitative Research
    • Human papillomavirus 11
    • HIV
    • Communicable Diseases, Emerging
    • Epidemiology
    • Epidemiologic Methods
    • Sexually Transmitted Diseases
    • Vaccines
  • Professor Adjunct; Affiliated Faculty, Yale Institute for Global Health

    Research Interests
    • Pneumonia
    • Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive
    • Infection Control
    • Gastrointestinal Microbiome
    • Drug Resistance
    • Respiratory Tract Infections

Secondary & Adjunct Faculty

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